BMW has unveiled a new strategy, dubbed iNext, that calls for the company to focus on automated driving, digital connectivity, electrification, and lightweight construction, among other things, according to recent reports.
The new “Project i 2.0” will see the company aim to “broaden its technical expertise” in the aforementioned areas — with the intent being to “consistently achieve further advances in the fields of electric mobility and automated driving.”
“Throughout its 100-year history, the BMW Group has always reinvented itself. As a pioneer of new technologies, the company has shaped change, within both the industry and the world of mobility,” stated Harald Krüger, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, at the Annual Accounts Press Conference in Munich on Wednesday. “We are setting the standard with our Strategy NUMBER ONE > NEXT, both now and in the future. We will lead the BMW Group into a new era, one in which we will transform and shape both individual mobility and the entire sector in a permanent way.”
A new press release provides more:
The BMW Group’s strategy will become driving reality, ushering in the next decade in the form of a revolutionary new BMW i model that will raise premium individual mobility to previously unknown levels. Under the banner of BMW iNEXT, the BMW Group brings new forms of automated driving and digital connectivity together with a new generation of electric mobility, lightweight construction and trailblazing interior design that will set new standards for the customer’s mobility experience.
…With project i 2.0, the BMW Group is now following an equally ambitious path with respect to automated and fully networked driving. By bundling the potential opportunities offered by digitalisation, the BMW Group will cement its position as technological leader in this field, too. A clear focus will be placed on high definition digital maps, sensor technology, cloud technology and artificial intelligence, the decisive areas for success in this segment. With the investment in HERE the BMW Group has already secured the availability of high definition maps.
“Our focus is clear: we are securing the BMW Group’s position as technological market leader,” commented Klaus Fröhlich, member of the Board of Management responsible for Development. “With project i 2.0 we will lead the field of autonomous driving. We will turn research projects into new kinds of industrial processes, bringing future technology onto the road.“
Technological market leader huh? I’m not so sure about that, that doesn’t seem to be what Car and Driver thought when they tested everyone’s autonomous drive features out.
Good news though, the more the merrier.
what BMW is doing is absolutely ridiculous! They apparently have no direction. They should listen to what people really need. It is not super complex machines that are full of gadgets and gizmos what people want. People want environmentally clean, low maintenance reliable cars that do not cost an arm and a leg as average BMW does. They want reliable cars that retain a decent value, unlike what is the case with BMW vehicles.
BMW should take a hint from Tesla, and they (BMW) should build sub 40K semi-compact vehicles that do not pollute, do not require enormous $$$ for maintenance, vehicles that will retain most of their value even after years of driving.
People do not want to see their dealership for vehicle maintenance as often as BMWs drivers are forced to because of unreliability and unnecessary complexity. As a former mechanic that worked on European cars I think I know what I am talking about.
BMW, wake up already, pull your head out of that dark place and build a vehicle that people are alredy salivating for — an affordable variant of mini Tesla.
Why can’t you see that?